Injection apparatus



Feb. 6, 1951 M. HARLEY 2,540,445

INJECTION APPARATUS Filed Sept. 28, 1949 of INVENTOR.

Patented Feb. 6, 1951 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE INJECTION APPARATUS Louis M. Harley, Detroit, Mich.

Application September 28, 1949, Serial No. 118,422

2 Claims.

This application relates to injection apparatus and more particularly to apparatus used for injecting medicinal or other substances into a patient.

The class of injection apparatus to which the present invention relates is that class known syringes having hollow needles through which fluid may be pumped or injected into a patients system. More especially does the invention relate to the art of injecting solutions or suspensions of substances of which penicillin is an example.

There is at present on the market apparatus for injection of penicillin, comprising a hypodermic syringe having at one end a double pointed, hollow needle and at the other end a pump handle with a cartridge receiver between the needle and the handle. One such syringe is known to the trade and this syringe happens to be the one selected for disclosure here and for description.

Such syringe is designed especially for use with needle having two points and having an internally threaded ferrule to enable it to be detachably secured on the externally threaded tip of the syringe. Cartridges containing oil solutions of penicillin and designed especially for such syringe are provided. Such a cartridge is inserted in the syringe and punctured by the needle and its contents may be pumped by the pump handle through the needle for injection.

While this apparatus has been found satisfactory, it happens, however, that it is not feasible to use such penicillin cartridge in certain cases where patients are allergic to the oil solution or suspension.

In this application, therefore, I have disclosed apparatus and technique for preparing aqueous solutions of penicillin using the above described cartridge receiving type of syringe which makes the task of preparing an aqueous solution for injection far more simple and convenient.

For an understanding of the apparatus and technique I have invented, reference should be had to the following detailed description which is to be understood in connection with the appended drawing.

In this drawing:

Fig. 1 i a double scale side view of a known syringe.

Figs. 2 and 3 are similar views of a cartridge and a needle for use in such syringe.

Fig. 4 is a similar view of a vial for use with such syringe.

Fig. 5 is a top plan view of a detail of the syringe.

Referring to the drawing. it will be observed that Fig. 1 shows a well known syringe l0 having a hollow cartridge receiver 12 cut out or cut away at l3 and terminating in an externally threaded tip M at one end. The other end of the receiver i2 is open at IE but is adapted to be closed by a pump handle mounting 20 having yoke arms 22 pivoted by pins at 24 to the receiver. The pump handle 26, slidable in the mounting 20, terminates in an internally threaded tip 28.

Adapted to be disposed within the receiver I2 is a cartridge (Fig. 2) in the form of a small glass tube 32 having a puncturable rubber diaphragm 34 at one end and a movable plunger-stopper 36 at the other, formed with a male threaded tip 38 for detachably threading into the tip 28 of the handle 26 for pumping connection between the handle and the plunger. Within the cartridge is a mass of the substance to be injected, indicated at 42, and illustrated as dry crystalline or powdered penicillin.

For use with such syringe there is provided a well known hollow needle 59 having sharp open points 5l52 at both ends and having an internally threaded ferrule 54 for detach-ably threading onto the tip l4 of the syringe with point 5i puncturing diaphragm 34 and entering cartridge 32 in receiver !2.

Now, if the substance 42 were not powdered penicillin, but a solution of penicillin, the syringe would be ready for normal use. However, I have described the substance 42 as being a powder and, hence, not capable of being pumped unless dissolved or suspended in fluid. The fluid supply I obtain from a vial containing water BI and having a puncturable, self-sealing rubber diaphragm cap 62. It is especially important to note that the vial E0 is charged with gas, such as air, whereby the water Bl in the vial 6D is under considerable pressure.

Operation Now, if a syringe needle point 52 mounted on syringe H], as described with point 5| inside cartridge 32, is thrust into the water in vial 60, through diaphragm 62, with the vital held upside down above the syringe, the water in vial 60 will be automatically and rapidly expelled by gas under pressure in that vial into the cartridge 32 to provide dissolving or suspending fluid for the substance 42. The vial may be withdrawn from the needle and the syringe may be shaken to stir the substance 42 and the water now in the cartridge 32 to form a solution or suspension which is ready for injection in the conventional manner.

3 The vial diaphragm seals itself upon withdrawal of the needle.

In this way, it is possible for a physician supplied with only a cartridge receiving syringe of the type shown, a hollow needle of the type shown, and a cartridge of the type shown containing powdered penicillin, and a vial of the type shown containing water under pressure to prepare an aqueous solution in the cartridge easily and at the very moment of use, no other syringe and needle being required.

If it happens that the vial 60 is not charged with gas under pressure when the physician desires to use it, it is a simple matter for him to charge the vial, using a conventional hypodermic syringe of the non-cartridge receiving type. He can inject the needle of such syringe through cap 62 of the vial, and by pushing the plunger of such syringe inwardly can pump air from the syringe cylinder through the needle into the vial. This will charge the vial and the vial will remain charged even after the syringe needle is withdrawn from the vial, because of the selfsealing character of the rubber diaphragm cap on such vial. After having charged the vial, the physician may connect that vial through the hollow needle shown to the syringe shown containing a cartridge of the type shown loaded with not a solution, but a dry, powdered form of the substance 42.

If the vial is charged sufficiently, it may be found to have suffiCiBllt pressure to fill several syringes.

It will be noted that the cartridge of Fig. 2, the needle of Fig. 3, and the vial of Fig. 4 may be sterilely wrapped together as a package, conveniently available for use at the desired moment by a, physician equipped with a cartridge receiving syringe, such as that of Fig. 1.

Now having described the injection apparatus herein disclosed and the technique for using it, reference will now be had to the claims which follow for a determination of the invention.

I claim:

1. Apparatus for injecting a solution, suspension, or the like, of a substance whose injection is desired comprising a syringe having a double pointed, hollow needle detachably mounted on one end and a pump handle on the other and a cartridge receiver between the needle and the handle, a cartridge containing said substance in undissolved form and disposed in said syringe and having a puncturable diaphragm at one end, adapted to be punctured by and traversed by one end of said needle, and having a plunger-stopper at the other formed to detachably connect to said handle, and a vial containing a dissolving or suspending fluid for said substance and having a puncturable, self-sealing diaphragm and charged with gas so that said fluid is in said vial under pressure, whereby fluid will discharge automatically from said vial into said cartridge when the free end of said needle is thrust through said vial diaphragm while the other end of said needle is in said cartridge.

2. Apparatus for injecting a solution, suspension, or the like, of a dry powdery or crystalline substance whose injection is desired comprising a syringe having a double pointed, hollow needle detachably mounted on one end and a pump handle on the other and a cartridge receiver between the needle and handle, a cartridge containing said dry powdery or crystalline substance, and disposed in said syringe, and having a puncturable diaphragm at one end, adapted to be punctured by and traversed by one end of said needle, and having a plunger-stopper at the other formed to detachably connect to said handle, and a vail containing a dissolving or suspending fiuid for said substance and having a puncturable, se1fsealing diaphragm and charged with gas so that said fluid is in said vial under pressure, whereby fluid will discharge automatically from said vial into said cartridge when the free end oi said needle i thrust through said vial diaphragm while the other end of said needle is in said eartridge.

LOUIS M. HARLEY.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 921,130 Lockwood May 11, 1909 1,495,924 Quayle May 27, 1924 1,718,593 Smith June 25, 1929 1,736,078 Haas Nov. 19, 1929 1,770,220 Smith July 8, 1930 2,176,042 Pittenger Oct. 10, 1939 

